Voice Access commands let you control your Android device by speaking.
Note: You can use Voice Access in English, Spanish, German, Italian, or French.
Step 1: Start Voice Access
- If you haven't already done so, install the Voice Access app and turn it on.
- Start Voice Access in one of these ways:
- If "Hey Google"detection is on, you can say “Hey Google, Voice Access.”
- Open your notification shade and tapTouch to start.
- On your Home screen, tap the Voice Access app
. - Tap the Voice Access activation button . (You can set up the activation button in SettingsAccessibility Voice Access Settings Activation button.)
- Say a command, such as "Open Gmail."
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. (You can set up the activation button in Settings
Accessibility Step 2: Use voice commands
After you start Voice Access, you can use commands to control your device. For example, "Open Gmail," "Scroll down," "Tap compose," and "Go home."
Tips:
- You can tap any text that you see on the screen. For example, if you see the words "store hours"with a link in a paragraph of text, you can say "Tap store hours"to tap the link.
- In the feedback bar at the top of your screen, Voice Access shows what it hears you say, along withresponses to your commands. After completing one command, Voice Access automatically begins listening again for your next command.
- If you say a command that could affect more than one item on the screen, Voice Access asks "Which one?" You can then say the number of the item.
You can use these commands on any screen.
General commands
- Open [app]
- Go back
- Go home
- Show notifications
- Show Quick Settings
- Show recent apps
Voice Access help
- What can I say?
- Show all commands
- Open tutorial
- Show numbers
- Hide numbers
- Show labels
- Hide labels
- What is [number]?
- Stop Voice Access
- Send feedback
Settings
- Turn on Bluetooth
- Turn off Bluetooth
- Turn up volume
- Turn down volume
- Turn [media/alarm/phone] volume up
- Turn [media/alarm/phone] volume down
- Mute
- Silence
- Unmute
- Mute [media/alarm/phone] volume
- Unmute [media/alarm/phone] volume
- Turn device off
Assistant
You can speak commands to the Google Assistant, such as:
- Hey Google, set timer for [amount of time]
- Hey Google, turn on flashlight
- Hey Google, when was the Empire State Building built?
- Hey Google, who created Google?
Voice Access numbers
To show an overlay of numbers next to everything on your screen that you can interact with, say "Show numbers." If you don't know the name for something, say "Show labels" to see suggestions.
For example, you might see the number 7 next to a Save button, like this: 
. To select the Save button, you could say any of these commands:
- 7
- Save
- Tap 7
- Tap Save
If two items on your screen have the same text label (such as two "Options" menus), you can say the number instead of the word. Also, if a text label is long or difficult to pronounce, saying the number might be easier.
If you're not sure which item on your screen goes with a number, you can say "What is [number]?" For example, "What is 7?"
Search in apps
If you're in an app with a search field, you can say something like "Search for [shoes]"to search in that app for shoes.
Answer calls
If youreceivea call, you can answer it by saying "Answer call."
Use these commands to tap, scroll, and make other gestures with your voice. Replace the sample words in [brackets] with your own commands.
Touch gestures
- Tap [OK]
- [OK]
- Long-press [item]
- Switch on [item]
- Switch off [item]
- Expand [notification]
- Collapse [notification]
Swipe gestures
- Scroll [up, down, left, right]
- Scroll [up, down, left, right] on [item]
- Scroll to top
- Scroll to bottom
- Swipe forwards
- Swipe backwards
Note: This feature requires Android 7.0 or later. Learn how to check your Android version.
In some apps, it's easier to navigate using a grid than by clickingspecific objects. A grid is also helpful if something you want to clickdoesn’t have a number.
- To start gridselection, say "Show grid."
- To make the grid bigger or smaller, say "More squares" or "Fewer squares."
- To interact with the grid, say a number, or use commands. For example:
- "3"
- “Tap 7”
- "Swipe right" or "Swipe left"
- "Scroll up" or "Scroll down"
- "Swipe 5 up"
- "Swipe left on 12"
- "Pinch in"
- "Pinch out"
- To hide the grid, say "Hide grid."
Note: This feature requires Android 7.0 or later. Learn how to check your Android version.
Use these commands to zoom or magnify to see your Android device's screen better.
Start magnification
- Start magnification
- Start zooming
Zoom in or out
- Magnify
- Zoom in
- Enhance
- Zoom out
Pan up, down, left, or right
- Scroll [up, down, left, right]
- Pan [up, down, left, right]
- Move [up, down, left, right]
- Go [up, down, left, right]
Stop magnification
- Stop magnification
- Stop zooming
- Cancel zooming
Use these commands to type, edit, and format text with your voice.
Voice Access shows a blue border around editable text fields to show that you can start typing and editing. If the blue border doesn't appear around a text field, say the number next to the text field.
Tips:
- Replace [word or phrase] with your own commands.
- Starred commands (*) work for characters, words, sentences, lines, paragraphs, or pages.
Type text
- Type [word or phrase]
- [word or phrase]
- Undo
- Redo
- Insert [word or phrase] before [word or phrase]
- Insert [word or phrase] after [word or phrase]
- Insert [word or phrase] between [word or phrase] and [word or phrase]
- Format email
- Note: This command formats nearby text as an email address, if possible. For example, to format the text "info at company dot com" as an email address (info@company.com) say "format email."
- Stop editing
Replace text
- Replace [word or phrase] with [word or phrase]
- Replace everything between [word or phrase] and [word or phrase] with [word or phrase]
- Capitalize [word or phrase]
- Uppercase [word or phrase]
- Lowercase [word or phrase]
Delete text
- Delete
- Delete all
- Delete [word or phrase]
- Delete to the beginning
- Delete to the end
- Delete selected text
- Delete from [word or phrase] to [word or phrase]
- Delete [3] words*
- Delete the next [5] sentences*
Move the cursor
- Go to the beginning
- Go to the end
- Move after [word or phrase]
- Move before [word or phrase]
- Move between [word or phrase] and [word or phrase]
- Right [4] characters*
- Left [6] words*
Select text
- Select all text
- Unselect all text
- Select to the beginning
- Select to the end
- Select [word or phrase]
- Select from [word or phrase] to [word or phrase]
- Select [5] sentences*
- Select the next [6] lines*
Cut, copy, and paste
- Cut
- Copy
- Paste
Show or hide the keyboard
- Show keyboard
- Hide keyboard
To stop Voice Access, you can do any of the following actions:
- Touch anywhere on the screen.
- Say "Stop listening."
- Turn the screen off. To save battery, Voice Access automatically stops when the screen is off.
- Open your notification shade, then tap Touch to pause.
- If you set up a Bluetooth switch, you can press the switch to stop Voice Access.
- If you turned on "Time out after no speech" in Voice Access settings, wait thirty seconds.
Note: To turn off the Voice Access app entirely, go to Settings
Accessibility Voice Access.
Get help
For more help with Android Accessibility, contact the Google Disability Support team.
FAQs
Can I answer my phone with voice command? ›
Phone calls: Voice Access automatically starts when your phone rings, letting you use your voice to decline or answer the call. You can also set up Voice Access so that it stays on during phone calls.
How do I get rid of voice Accessibility? ›- On your device, open Settings .
- Select Accessibility. TalkBack.
- Turn Use TalkBack on or off.
- Select Ok.
The feature acts much like the Google Assistant, but with a larger focus on what's on your phone's screen at the moment. For instance, in the GIF on the right, you can see the feature being used to "tap best brunches" on the Google Maps app.
How do I answer my Android phone without swiping? ›- 1 Head into your Settings and tap on Accessbility.
- 2 Select Interaction and dexterity.
- 3 Tap on Assistant menu.
- 4 Toggle this setting on.
- 5 Toggle on Replace Swipe with Single Tap.
The Accessibility Menu is a large on-screen menu to control your Android device. You can control gestures, hardware buttons, navigation, and more. From the menu, you can: Take screenshots.
What is Voice Control in Accessibility? ›With Voice Control, you can navigate and interact with your device using your voice to tap, swipe, type, and more. You need iOS 13 or later, or iPadOS to use Voice Control. Before you can use Voice Control, a file download is required.
What is VoiceOver Accessibility? ›Smartphones and tablets have their own “voice” that reads out loud whatever is on the screen for you. This can be a notification, the name of the app you tap on, a website, the information of a caller or the content of your emails and text messages.
How do I turn off Accessibility on Android without settings? ›If your device has the accessibility shortcut turned on, simply press both volume keys for 3 seconds to disable TalkBack.
How do I get rid of voice assistance on Android? ›- Open the Google app on your phone;
- Go to More at the bottom right of your screen;
- Go to Settings;
- Go to Google Assistant;
- Scroll down to Assistant Devices. Select all devices on which you want to turn off Google Assistant;
- Tap the Google Assistant toggle to turn the feature off.
TalkBack is designed to give voice feedback to those who have visual impairment. If you accidentally turned TalkBack on during phone setup you can turn it off on the choose language screen. On the choose language screen, draw an "L" with your finger to display TalkBack controls.
Why would I want to use Google Voice? ›
Automated attendants: You can set up a menu system to direct callers to the correct people or departments in your organization. Call transfer: You can transfer a call to another number from your computer or mobile device. Integration with Google Calendar and Google Meet: You can use Google Voice with other Google apps.
What is the voice command for Android? ›If "Hey Google" detection is on, you can say “Hey Google, Voice Access.” Open your notification shade and tap Touch to start. On your Home screen, tap the Voice Access app .
Which voice assistant is best for Android? ›- Amazon Alexa.
- Bixby.
- DataBot.
- Extreme Personal Voice Assistant.
- Google Assistant.
Incoming calls will show up as notifications on your Android phone, then you just need to say “hey Google, answer call” (or something along those lines) to pick up without lifting a finger. You can also use the “reject call” command if it's someone you don't want to speak to right now.
What is the easiest way to answer my phone? ›...
Answer or reject a phone call
- To answer the call, swipe the white circle to the top of the screen when your phone is locked, or tap Answer.
- To reject the call, swipe the white circle to the bottom of the screen when your phone is locked, or tap Dismiss.
- Open the Phone app > tap More options (three vertical dots) > tap Settings.
- Tap Answering and ending calls.
- Adjust answering and ending calls options.
Your Google Assistant answers the call and asks who's calling and why. If the Assistant determines the call is a robocall or spam call, your phone hangs up.
How do I answer a phone call with automatic voice reply in Android? ›- App Settings.
- Tap on 'Auto-Reply to Calls'
- Swipe right to enable Auto-Reply to Calls.
- From there, you can either choose the default response or create a custom reply. Note: You can create and save up to three custom responses.
Accessibility supports social inclusion for people with disabilities as well as others, such as older people, people in rural areas, and people in developing countries. Accessibility also benefits people without disabilities.
Do I need Android accessibility on my phone? ›Do I need the Android Accessibility Suite? If you have any disability mentioned above – visual, hearing, motor, or speech impairments – then the Android Accessibility Suite has a lot to offer you. Many of the tools in this suite will help you get the maximum use and enjoyment out of your smartphone or tablet.
What is accessibility used for? ›
Accessibility is the practice of making your websites usable by as many people as possible. We traditionally think of this as being about people with disabilities, but the practice of making sites accessible also benefits other groups such as those using mobile devices, or those with slow network connections.
What is the purpose of Voice Control? ›Voice control, also called voice assistance, is a user interface that allows hands-free operation of a digital device. Voice control does not require an internet connection to work. Communication is one way (person to device) and all processing is done locally.
Why is Voice Control so important? ›Voice control is a type of voice recognition technology, which enables devices like smart phones, smart TVs and home hubs to understand spoken words and be controlled through simple voice commands and responses. This eliminates the need for users to perform more traditional control tasks, such as pressing buttons.
Is Voice Access safe? ›Voice authentication is more secure than other authentication and recognition methods because it uses a person's unique voiceprint for verification of their identity. This means some other user can't be using your voiceprint to access your account, unlike other biometric security data systems and identifiers.
What is the difference between TalkBack and VoiceOver? ›This is why some apps have special places where VoiceOver doesn't interfere with gestures, while other apps ask you to turn VO off entirely. In contrast, Talkback only involves itself in touch gestures when those gestures include one finger. Two or more fingers are simply ignored, with Android itself reacting instead.
Can I disable Android Accessibility? ›Open your Android device's Settings app . Select Accessibility. Switch Access. At the top, select the On/Off switch.
What is switch access in Android? ›Switch Access lets you interact with your Android device using one or more switches instead of the touchscreen. Switch Access can be helpful if you can't interact directly with your device.
How do you unlock Accessibility mode on Android? ›- From the bottom of the lock screen, two-finger swipe up.
- Use the fingerprint sensor or face unlock.
- Explore by touch. At the bottom middle of the screen, find the unlock button, then double-tap.
Select Settings. Choose the Google Assistant setting. Select Hey Google & Voice Match under Popular Settings. Toggle off Hey Google.
How do I turn off voice assist on my Samsung? ›- Navigate to Home > Menu > Settings > All Settings.
- Go to General & Privacy > Accessibility.
- Select Voice Guide Settings and disable Voice Guide.
How do I get rid of Voice Control on my I phone? ›
Open the Settings app. Tap Accessibility. Tap Side Button. Tap Siri, Classic Voice Control, or Off to decide if you'll summon Siri, Classic Voice Control, or nothing when you press and hold the Side button.
Why does it seem like my phone is listening to me? ›The short answer is that your phone and plan carrier use voice data, which can manifest in several forms — from voice assistant apps like Siri and Google Assistant to personalized advertisements. They also listen to you for marketing purposes.
Why does my Android phone keeps talking? ›TalkBack is designed to give voice feedback to those who have visual impairment. If you accidentally turned TalkBack on during phone setup you can turn it off on the choose language screen. On the choose language screen, draw an "L" with your finger to display TalkBack controls.
How do I setup my phone to respond to my voice? ›- On your Android phone or tablet, go to Assistant settings, or open the Google Assistant app. and say, “Assistant settings.”
- Under "Popular settings," tap Voice Match.
- Turn on Hey Google. If you don't find Hey Google, turn on Google Assistant.
Set up Voice Control
Go to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control. Tap Set Up Voice Control, then tap Continue to start the file download. appears in the status bar to indicate Voice Control is turned on.
Go to Settings > Siri & Search > Announce Calls, then choose an option. When a call comes in, Siri identifies the caller, and asks if you want to answer the call. Say “yes” to accept the call or “no” to decline it.
Can I tell Siri to answer my phone? ›Even if you can't pick up the phone yourself, you can say “hey Siri, answer the phone”, and the caller will be connected. If you're not able to hold the phone up to your ear, say “Siri, answer the call on speaker”.